name
Meaning 1
A female given name.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
tempo
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈtɛm.pəʊ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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General-American: /ˈtɛm.poʊ/
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rhymes with -ɛmpəʊ
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CMU ARPABET: T EH1 M P OW2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A frequency or rate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- 10 calls per hour isn't a bad start, but we'll need to up the tempo if we want to reach our target of selling insurance policies.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A move which is part of one's own plan or strategy and forces, e.g. by means of a check or attacking a piece, the opponent to make a move which is not bad but of no use (the player gains a tempo, the opponent loses a tempo), or equivalently a player achieves the same result in fewer moves by one approach rather than another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: board-games, chess, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The timing advantage of being on lead, thus being first to initiate a strategy to develop tricks for one's side.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: bridge, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
The timing of a particular event – earlier or later than in an alternative situation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- the tempo effect in fertility measurements
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
Examples
- The conductor asked the orchestra to increase the tempo.
- The song has a slow tempo that makes it relaxing.
- The dancer kept pace with the shifting tempo of the music.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
The steady pace set by the frontmost riders.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: cycling, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A small truck or cargo van with three or four wheels, commonly used for commercial transport and deliveries (particularly in Asian and African countries).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A rapid rate of play by the offense resulting from reducing the amount of time which elapses after one play ends and the next starts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: American-football, ball-games, football, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A temporary carport.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A type of car shelter, a temporary kit-built prefabricated steel-framed high tunnel peaked hoop house with an impermeable translucent plastic fabric cover, and flap doors.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Quebec
Topics: automotive, transport, vehicles
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
(music) the speed at which a composition is to be played
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pacing
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: musical time
Narrower terms: accelerando, allegretto, allegro, andante, meno mosso, rubato
noun
Meaning 13
the rate of some repeating event
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pace
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: rate
Narrower terms: beats per minute, bpm, metronome marking, M.M.
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian tempo, from Latin tempus (“time”). Doublet of tense. (truck or cargo van): A genericized trademark, originally associated with the manufacturer Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH.
Clipping of temporary.
Genericization of the trademark Tempo. From the name of a popular manufacturer of such structures. Clipping of temporary.
Across languages
Translations
56 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: tempo — frequency or rate
- Belarusian: тэмп (temp) — frequency or rate
- Bulgarian: темпо (tempo) — frequency or rate
- Danish: tempo — frequency or rate
- Finnish: tahti — frequency or rate
- Finnish: tempo — frequency or rate
- French: tempo — frequency or rate
- German: Tempo — frequency or rate
- Greek: ρυθμός (rythmós) — frequency or rate
- Italian: ritmo — frequency or rate
- Māori: tukituki — frequency or rate
- Māori: whakataki — frequency or rate
- Norwegian Bokmål: tempo — frequency or rate
- Norwegian Nynorsk: tempo — frequency or rate
- Polish: tempo — frequency or rate
- Russian: темп (tɛmp) — frequency or rate
- Spanish: tempo — frequency or rate
- Ukrainian: темп (temp) — frequency or rate
- Finnish: tempo — chess: type of move
- Spanish: tempo — chess: type of move
- Bulgarian: темпо (tempo) — bridge: timing advantage of being on lead
- Afrikaans: tempo — timing of a particular event
- Finnish: ajoitus — timing of a particular event
- Afrikaans: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Belarusian: тэмп (temp) — music: number of beats per minute
- Bulgarian: те́мпо (témpo) — music: number of beats per minute
- Chinese Mandarin: 拍子 (pāizǐ) — music: number of beats per minute
- Chinese Mandarin: (音乐的)速度 (sùdù) — music: number of beats per minute
- Finnish: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- French: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- German: Tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Greek: ρυθμός (rythmós) — music: number of beats per minute
- Hebrew: קֶצֶב — music: number of beats per minute
- Hindi: लय (lay) — music: number of beats per minute
- Indonesian: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Italian: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Japanese: テンポ (tenpo) — music: number of beats per minute
- Korean: 템포 (tempo) — music: number of beats per minute
- Latin: temporum intervalla — music: number of beats per minute
- Malay: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Māori: taki — music: number of beats per minute
- Norwegian Bokmål: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Norwegian Nynorsk: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Polish: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Russian: темп (tɛmp) — music: number of beats per minute
- Spanish: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Swedish: tempo — music: number of beats per minute
- Tamil: தாப்பு (tāppu) — music: number of beats per minute
- Thai: เทมโป (tem-bpoo) — music: number of beats per minute
- Ukrainian: темп (temp) — music: number of beats per minute
- Vietnamese: nhịp độ — music: number of beats per minute
- Afrikaans: tempo — cycling: steady pace set by the frontmost riders
- Finnish: tempo — cycling: steady pace set by the frontmost riders
- Spanish: tempo — cycling: steady pace set by the frontmost riders
- Finnish: tavaramopo — small truck or cargo van
- French: Tempo — car shelter
Real reading context